Nightmare before christmas trainers

While looking around Primark I spotted a pair of trainers for £4 BARGAIN!! I loved the shape of them but not the pattern so I bought them with the thought of painting them.

So several days, strips of masking tape & layers of fabric paint later I had a pair of Nightmare before Christmas, Jack& Zero trainers.

I learnt masking tape is fab for getting lines straight & red marking pen will bleed through the paint no matter how many years I use, doh!!!

Altered shoes

As you have seen, I like altering shoes, and with the sun shining there are plenty of canvas shoes out in all different sorts of designs that are easy to create on.

These I got with the idea of making them match the dress I've just made to make it a bit more casual than with my heeled shoes that go with it.

By drawing around measuring cups and then painting with fabric paint I came up with these.....

But this isnt just a hobby for adults, kids love it as well..

And with pumps only costing about £1.50p (thats how much these cost) its a cheap craft for them that will keep them entertained on wet or dry days.

To make it even cheaper I let them use acrylic or poster paints, they stain them quite nicely, as many a school jumper sleeve will prove.

These are the shoes Kai (whose 3years old) altered himself.

Red shoes, black lace and markers pens, ooo what fun!

I wanted a flat pair of pumps for the NEC, perfect for lots of shopping without aching feet, and had already planned that I was likely to alter them. Having a look round Primark I spotted a red pair of slip ons for £8

The tassle bits were horrible, and one wouldnt even lie straight down, but I could see that I could remove them easily, and liked the shape and colour of the actual shoe.

I started by removing the tassles. I then gathered some black lace and hand stitched it to the front.

I carefully drew a swirly card suits pattern onto the card in ink pen, and when I was happy with it went over it in black marker pen. I let this dry and wiped over it with a damp cloth to remove any ink left

The shoes are so happy they are even smiling themselves!

"I may not be a Cheshire cat but they're my shoes now, keep away, keep away"

“Fan her head!” the Red Queen anxiously interrupted. “She’ll be feverish after so much thinking.”

Burlesque Shoes

I love clothing thats a little bit unique, and the same goes for shoes. The easiest way to get something totally unique is to make it yourself! Or at least alter it.

In the autumn I got an idea of making a corset style, burlesque-esque shoe in black and red, but it wasnt until closer to Christmas that I raided my Mums unwanted shoes, for something to alter and found these......

Just the shape of shoe I wanted! No toes poking out (they look awful with 1950's style tights), a nice heel, and a single high strap.

I covered as much of the black leather as I could in newspaper and masking tape, keeping the heel free. I then spray painted it red, it took a few coats.

After this was dry I removed the paper and tape, and went down either side of the back seam with my cropodile putting in 3 eyelets on each side. I took some suede cord and criss crossed it through the eyelets and tied a bow.

The final result......

......my new going out shoes.

I have lots of different ideas for altering shoes so your bound to see more here.

I need to find something to cover the heels in that doesnt scrape off like the spray paint, they are ok for everyday wear but if they catch against some metal that would normally just scratch the heel slightly they show the black underneath. Next time I may try lightly sanding it to give it something to hold onto, anyone know of any products that might work?